A young man and woman, both in their early twenties, and both partially clothed, started to make love, lying on the ground in front of the townhall of the town of Cherbourg. It was 8 o’clock in the morning of Sunday, June 25. It being a Sunday there were still few people about. However those […]

Rodin’s The Kiss (cc Marilyn Z.Tomlins)

A young man and woman, both in their early twenties, and both partially clothed, started to make love, lying on the ground in front of the townhall of the town of Cherbourg.

It was 8 o’clock in the morning of Sunday, June 25.

It being a Sunday there were still few people about. However those who were stared in amazement at what was going on.

One onlooker though filmed the scene and put it on all the social websites including Facebook.

Within a few hours it had been seen by no fewer than 100,000 people and a lively discussion was going on.

Facebook would delete the video but not before the police had seen it too.

And well – the couple had broken the law: it is forbidden to engage in sex in public.

So the police began to look for them, and could quickly identify them.

The couple had by then themselves seen the video and as they would tell the police, they had no recollection of what they had done. They were drunk! They had first heard of what they had done when friends telephoned them to direct them to one of the sites running the video.

They are now facing prosecution, and they risk a year in prison and a fine of 15,000 euros ($ 17,200 £ 13,300) each.

What is more the person who had filmed the scene and put it on the internet may also be charged. The prosecutor’s office must though first decided with what to charge him or her.